Desk and the like with drawer



Nov. 14, 1961 w. B. JONES 3,008,787

DESK AND THE LIKE WITH DRAWER Filed Feb. 12, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 22 \fga INVENTOR.

' 1961 w. B. JONES 3,008,787

DESK AND THE LIKE WITH DRAWER Filed Feb. 12, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 59 f d-1. g0

INVENTOR.

United States Patent Ofitice Patented Nov. 14, 1961 3,008,787 DESK AND THE LIKE WITH DRAWER W. Barlett Jones, 38 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, 111. Filed Feb. 12, 1960, Ser. No. 8,282 Claims. (Cl. 312-301) The present invention relates to furniture, and in particular, to a desk or the like provided with a drawer.

In general, ofiice desks have a drawer adjacent the desk top over the position of the knees of one using the desk. Such a drawer is commonly provided at its forward part with a long narrow tray for articles such as pencils, paper clips, and the like. Especially where these articles are frequently removed from the tray, one does not each time open and shut the drawer, but rather leaves the drawer open to expose the tray. In many respects, this is undesirable including unsightliness of the open drawer and the nuisance of its projecting bulk.

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages and provides for access to a suitable tray more conveniently positioned, and preferably one not in forward position.

The objects of the invention may be carried out in several ways.

Ordinarily, the main drawer is movable out of and back into a limiting position herein referred to as its normal closed position, generally flush with the front face of the desk. According to the present invention, the main drawer is so made as to move inwardly of the desk beyond said normal closed position, thereby providing space between the inward position and the said normal closed position for presenting a tray.

The tray in one form may be fixed to the framework of the desk and so located that when the drawer is moved into the said inward position, it exposes the fixed tray. In some cases, the bottom of the front edge of the main drawer is so low that it is undesirable to use more space below the level of said edge for mounting a tray.

An alternative structure is to provide the tray as an inner drawer at the bottom front of the main drawer, preferably of smaller size, and have the inner drawer movable in and out of the main drawer. Preferably, the front face of the inner drawer in its closed position becomes part of the front face of the main drawer. By providing for movement of the mian drawer inwardly of the desk from its normal closed position to a suitable limit, and providing a limit for outward movement of the inner drawer relative to the main drawer, the tray may be positioned just within the spacebehind the normal closed position of the face of the main drawer. Thus, with both drawers in their normal closed position, the inner drawer may be held stationary withrespect to the framework of the desk, andthe main drawer moved inward relative to the framework sufliciently far to expose the tray in the forward part of the inner drawer.

The invention may be carriedout in numerous ways to meet the foregoing objectives, two embodiments thereof being shown in theaccompanying drawings, in'which:

FIG. 1 represents a fragmentary front view of a desk incorporating the invention.

FIG. 2 represents an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1

FIG. 3 represents a fragmentary cross-section taken on the line 33- of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 represents a fragmentary front view of a second form of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-section taken on the line 5--5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the main drawer moved to its rearmost position to expose the inner drawer.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-section taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 5.

In FIG. 1 a portion of the front face of an oflice desk is illustrated, showing a desk top 10, legs 11 and 12, the face of a front member 13 of a drawer D which face in its normal closed position is flush with the face of a strip 14 forming part of the framework of the desk. Along both sides of the drawer D are vertical banks of drawers 15 each capped by a slide 16.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, the drawer D is shown as comprising side members 20 of which one is shown, and a bottom 21 set into grooves 22 in the side members 20 and in the front member 13. The framework of the desk has panels 23 along which the drawer sides 20 slide on runners 24- each secured to a panel 23.

The runner 24 terminates (FIG. 2) at 25 in position to obstruct inward movement of the front member 13 at the position shown in dotted lines 13 This provides a recess into the desk beyond the normal closed position of the front member 13. Below the path of drawer D and in said recess is a tray-forming member shown as a curved trough 26 which may be made of sheet metal as shown, with its ends secured to the framework, for example, by tabs 27 fastened to the legs. The tray may be divided into partitions, but such division is not shown.

Merely by moving the drawer D to its inward position, the tray is exposed and may be used for a supply of the items constantly needed, such as paper clips, pencils, erasers and the like, without need to open the drawer or to keep it open. In locking drawer D in its normal closed position, the tray is inaccessable.

FIGS. 4-7 illustrate another form in which the trayforming member is a part of the main drawer and is an inner drawer which may be pulled out of the main drawer for use in every position of the main drawer and which may be closed into the main drawer, preferably only in every normal position of the main drawer, thus excluding, the position thereof rearward of its normal closed position.

In FIG. 4 a portion of the front face of an office desk is illustrated, showing a desk top 30, legs 31 and 32, the face of a front member 33 of a main drawer M which face in its normal closed position is flush with the face of a strip 34 forming part of the framework of the desk. Along both sides of the drawer M are vertical banks of drawers 35 each capped by a slide 36.

In FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the drawer M is shown as comprising a side member 40 of which only one is shown, a back 40' (FIG. 7), and a bottom 41 set into grooves 42 in the side members 40, back member 40" and front member 33. The framework of the desk has panels 43 along which the drawer sides 40 slide on runners 44 secured to the panels 43.

The runners 44 terminate (FIGS. 5 and 6) at 45 in position to obstruct inward movement of the front member 33 at the position shown in FIG. 6. This provides a recess into the desk beyond the normal closed position of the front member 33 intowhich recess the inner drawer referred to is to be positioned when it is inits out position relative to the main drawer M.

The inner drawer T is preferably incorporated entirely in the main drawer, as clearly indicated by its front face 50, forming part of the front face 33 in FIG. 4. Drawer T has sides 51 of which only one is shown which extend rearwardly as wings to a depth in the vicinity of the inner ends of upper runs 52 between which and the main drawer bottom 41 the said wing-sides slide in and out. Because the inner drawer T slides in an opening framed by the fixed face portions 33 of the main drawer M, the sides 51 of the drawer Tare spaced inwardly from the sides 40 of the main drawer M, the intervening space being filled by side runner strips 53 secured to the sides 40 to which the upper runs 52 may be secured.

Between the two sides 51 of the inner drawer is a member 55 forming tray or trough 56, which member 55 constitutes the bottom and back of the inner drawer. In FIG. 6, the main drawer is shown in its rearmost position with the lower portion of its front face 33 against the ends 45 of runners 44 as stop means. Also, the inner drawer T is in the same position relative to the framework of the desk as in FIG. 5, but in out-position relative to the main drawer, thus exposing the tray 56 in the recess normally closed by the main drawer.

It is preferred that for the positions shown in FIG. 6 the inner drawer T be prevented from motion to the left or inwardly of the desk beyond its normal closed position of FIG. 5. Accordingly, the drawer T is held against such movement by stop means, such as an upstanding post 57 anchored to the wing 51 in position to move forward with the inner drawer and to move rearwardly only as far as a block 58 secured to the underside of the desk top 30. The post 57 clears the front strip 34 in opening the main drawer, and a nitch 58' cut in the back 40 of the main drawer (FIG. 7) allows the drawer M to clear the block 58.

In order to limit the extent of withdrawal of the inner drawer T from the main drawer M, stop means is provided such as a horizontal pin 59 carried by the wing 51, which pin 59 strikes a stop means 60 fixed to a runner 52, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. By extending the wings 51 to terminate in contact with a pin 61 which is fixed with respect to the main drawer, the pin 61 acts as stop means to limit inward motion of the inner drawer T relative to the main drawer at the position shown in FIG. 5, at which position it is also held by post 57 against block 58, when the main drawer is moved into the desk as in FIG. 6.

When the inner drawer T is pulled out of the main drawer M in the latters position opened from the desk, the space occupied by the inner drawer in FIG. and vacated by it in FIG. 6, is preferably made non-useful as space in the main drawer, so as not to impede proper movement of the inner drawer. This may be accomplished in one way by a spring-actuated roller 62 of the window-curtain type mounted on the drawer bottom 41, on which is rolled flexible sheet material 63 with its free edge secured to the back of the inner drawer T.

The main drawer M is provided with the conventional lock 65, and the inner drawer T is provided with a lock 66. When the lock 66 locks the inner drawer T to the main drawer M, the structure is a conventional drawer with tray inside the front face. The post 57 and the locked lock 66 cooperate to prevent the main drawer M from moving into its position in FIG. 6.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the smaller or tray-drawer T may be pulled forward, while the main drawer M remains in its normal closed position, locked or unlocked, thus giving the advantage of a locked desk with an accessible unlocked drawer.

The present invention has been illustrated as it may be incorporated in a wooden desk. However, it is contemplated that equivalent constructions may be substituted for desks or the like made in whole or in part of sheet metal, and other constructions are contemplated as falling within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A desk or the like comprising a fixed framework, a main open-top drawer having a front face cooperative with said framework in a first and normal closed position of the drawer to obstnlct access to the open-top of said drawer, and a member providing a long narrow tray for pencils and the like, said member and said main drawer being relatively movable in the direction of the movement of the drawer relative to the framework, said main drawer being movable forwardly from said normal closed position to open the drawer and being movable rearwardly into said framework from said normal closed position, the relative movement of said member and said drawer being such as to expose said tray rearwardly of the location of said front face at the normal closed position of the main drawer, when said main drawer is in its second closed position.

2. A desk according to claim 1 in which said member is fixed relative to said framework.

3. A desk according to claim 1 in which said member is also movable in said direction relative to said framework.

4. A desk or the like comprising a fixed framework, a main drawer having a front face and at the bottom front of said drawer an inner drawer slidable in and out of the main drawer and having a front face which in the closed position of the inner drawer forms a part of the front face of the main drawer, said main drawer being slidable in both directions from a normal closed position in which said framework first obstructs access to the open-top of said main drawer on movement of the main drawer into said framework from open position, said inner drawer having an open top, said main drawer being movable into said framework from its said normal closed position to expose the open top of said inner drawer when the latters front face remains in its position completing the front face of the main drawer when the main drawer is in its normal closed position.

5. A desk or the like according to claim 4 having means fixed to the desk to limit the inward movement of the main drawer from said normal closed position.

6. A desk or the like according to claim 4 having stop means for limiting the outward movement of the inner drawer relative to the main drawer at the relative positions of the two drawers when the main drawer is rearmost and when the inner drawer remains in its position for completing the front face of the main drawer at the latters normal closed position.

7. A desk or the like according to claim 4 having stop means to limit the out-position of the inner drawer relative to the main drawer so that at the innermost position of the main drawer the said limited out-position of the inner drawer is the same as its innermost position relative to the main drawer when the latter is in its normal closed position.

8. A desk or the like according to claim 4 having stop means to limit the inward position of the inner drawer relative to said framework at its position wherein its face forms a part of the face of the main drawer in the latters normal closed position, and in which lock means is provided between the front faces of the inner drawer and of the main drawer whereby in the locked position of said means the inner drawer moves with the outer drawer and said stop means is effective through said inner drawer and lock means to prevent movement of the main drawer inward from its normal closed position.

9. A desk or the like according to claim 4 having stop means fixed to said framework positioned to limit the innermost position of the main drawer to a predetermined distance from its normal closed position, stop means fixed to said framework positioned to limit inward movement of said inner drawer at the normal closed position of the main drawer, and stop means fixed to said main drawer positioned to limit outward movement of the inner drawer from the main drawer to said predetermined distance.

10. A desk or the like comprising a fixed framework, a main open top drawer with a front face obstructing access to said drawer, and a member fixed to the framework providing a long narrow receptacle, said drawer having a normal closed positon at which said framework tfirst obstructs access to the open-top of said drawer on movement of the drawer into said framework from open position, said drawer being movable into said framework by continuation of said closing movement of the drawer to a location rearwardly of said normal closed position,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 119,208 Welteck Sept. 19, 1871 444,151 Hull Jan. 6, 1891 585,842 Gill July 6, 1897 

